Apparatus for installing tape

ABSTRACT

A MACHINE FOR APPLYING TAPE TO DRY WALL CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING A PLASTER CONTAINER SUPPORTED FROM A HARNESS WORN BY A WORKMAN. AN ENDLESS TAPE IS DRAWN BY A PLURALITY OF COGGED ROLLERS IN A TUBULAR, JOINTED ARM THROUGH THE PLASTER AND DELIVERED TO A ROTATABLE, FLEXIBLE VANED TROWEL OPERATED BY AN ELECTRIC MOTOR. THE TROWEL SMOOTHS THE TAPE ONTO THE WALL AND EXCESS PLASTER MAY GRAVITATE THROUGH A CONDUIT INTO THE CONTAINER. A SPRING RETURN CUTTING MEMBER OPERATED FROM A DRAW STRING IS PROVIDED FOR CUTTING THE TAPE.

Aug. 10, 1971 J. E. BUTLER ETAL APPARATUS FOR INSTALLING TAPE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 30, 1969 2 M Z P- i} 0 8 4 s w a B Q a 8 w B o H 00000000000 wooooooqlokl (l INVENTOR5. J'OE E. BUTLER '13 JOHN E. BUTLER ATTORNEY Aug. 10, 1971 B T R ETAL 3,598,51

APPARATUS FOR INSTALLING TAPE Filed June 30, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet a Pr" .4 o 94 INVENTORS. JOE E. BUTLER w BY JOHN E. BUTLER ATTORNE United States Patent 3,598,683 APPARATUS FOR INSTALLING TAPE Joe E. Butler and John E. Butler, both of 3004 S. 42nd St., St. Joseph, Mo. 64505 Filed June 30, 1969, Ser. No. 837,615 Int. Cl. B32b 31/18; B44c 7/02 US. Cl. 156-527 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A machine for applying tape to dry wall construction comprising a plaster container supported from a harness worn by a workman. An endless tape is drawn by a plurality of cogged rollers in a tubular, jointed arm through the plaster and delivered to a rotatable, flexible vaned trowel operated by an electric motor. The trowel smooths the tape onto the wall and excess plaster may gravitate through a conduit into the container. A spring return cutting member operated from a draw string is provided for cutting the tape.

This invention relates to construction finishing work, and more particularly, to a machine for applying seam covering tape to the joints between panels of sheet rock, gypsum board or the like.

The cracks between abutting panels of building material of this type are conventionally sealed with a paper tape which is coated with plaster or spackling material. The latter serves as an adhesive and as a medium for imbedding the tape to present a perfectly smooth surface at the joint. The tape and plaster also cover the heads of nails used to secure the panels to the building studs.

Heretofore, the application of tape to walls of this type has been a tedious, laborious process which requires considerable manual skill. Apparatus have been proposed for applying the tape from a continuous roll, but these have been largely unsuccessful because of the inability of such apparatus to adequately perform the various operations which must be carried out in the production of joints which are smoothly sealed by tape. Among the problems encountered with these apparatus has been the inability to prevent twisting of the tape, little effective control over the amount of plaster carried by the tape to its point of application to the wall and inadvertent tearing of the tape during use of the apparatus.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a tape applicator machine which is highly reliable and is capable of providing all of the essential operations for producing smooth joints for walls of this type.

It is another very important object of the present invention to provide a machine which may be readily carried and which is easily manipulated by a workman carrying out the taping operation.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a machine which utilizes a readily controllable power drive for transporting the tape through the machine to avoid inadvertently tearing the tape.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tape applying machine having pairs of rollers configured to automatically control the amount of plaster carried by the tape to its point of application on the wall.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a machine provided with a highly reliable troweling device capable of smoothly installing the tape to hide the pres ence of the joint in the wall from visual detection.

Other objects of the present invention reside in the provision of dependable means for returning any excess plaster to the supply container, and the utilization of relatively inexpensive construction for the machine to effect economies in both the fabrication and the operation of the machine.

These and other important objects of this invention will be further explained or will become apparent from the specification, claims and drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view on a reduced scale of a machine embodying the principles of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, side elevational view of the machine, parts being broken away and shown in crosssection to reveal details of construction;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, top plan view of the machine, parts being broken away and shown in cross-section to reveal details of construction;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, transverse, cross-sectional view through the arm of the machine;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary, longitudinal crosssectional view through the arm illustrating the joint of the arm;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary top plan view of the applicator head of the machine;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary side-elevational view of the applicator head, parts being broken away and shown in cross-section to reveal details of construction; and

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary, detailed cross-sectional view taken along line -8-8 of FIG. 7.

A machine embodying the principles of this invention is broadly designated by the reference numeral '10 and comprises an elongated, cylindrical container 12 having a tapered end portion 14 integral with container 12 and provided at its lowermost end with an elongated relatively narrow inlet opening 16. Portion 14 is in communication with the remainder of container 12. A pair of elongated rigid straps 18 are secured as by welding or the like to the outermost surface of container 12 and project downwardly below the latter to provide a support for a roll 20 of endless tape 22. The roll 20 is mounted on a transversely extending axle 24 stabilized in straps 18 by suitable bearing means (not shown) and shaft 24 may be removed for installation and removal of rolls of tape.

Machine 10 is adapted to be carried by a workman and, to this end, machine 10 includes a harness 26 comprising a substantially rigid semi-cylindrical chest plate 28 and a pair of body straps 30 adapted to be worn by the workman. A curved mounting bracket 32 is secured to container 12 in outwardly spaced relationship therefrom by bolt means 34. A horizontally extending slot 36 in bracket 32 receives a projecting stub shaft 38 mounted on a pair of rollers 40 (FIG. 3). Shaft 38 projects through one of a series of vertically spaced aligned holes 42 in chest plate 28 as illustrated in FIG. 1. Thus, shaft 38 and rollers 40 provide a swivel connection between the chest plate and container and slot 36 permits limited relative rotation of container '12 about its vertical axis with respect to chest plate 28. Manifestly, container 12 may also be rotated about the axis of shaft 38.

The lid 44 for container 12 may be hinged to permit introduction of the plaster or Spackle material 46 (hereinafter merely called plaster) into container 12. The tape 22 is fed through opening 16 and passes in intimate contact with the plaster 46 as it travels to an outlet opening 48 (FIG. 1) located adjacent one end of an elongated rigid tubular member 50 comprising one section of a movable arm 52. Arm 52 includes a second member 54 which is substantially similar to member 50 and is hingedly secured to the latter by an elongated connector 56 pivotally coupled at its opposite ends to the respective members 50 and 54. Manifestly, there is provided a connector 56 for each side of arm 52 as shown best in FIG. 5.

Referring now to FIG. 4, it may be seen that the members 50 and 54 are transversely squared and comprise a pair of sections 58 and 60 interconnected along one marginal edge by hinge means 62 and releasably secured together at the opposite marginal edge by releasable latch means 64.

Each of the sections 58 and 60 is provided with an intermediate wall 58a and 60a respectively. The walls 58a and 600! meet along their outermost projecting edges to separate the members into respective chambers 65 and 66. A plurality of cylindrical rollers 68 are mounted on shafts 70 journalled in the side walls of member 50 as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. The rollers 68 extend transversely of chamber '65 and substantially span the distance across the latter. Each shaft 70 has a gear 72 mounted thereon and disposed in chamber 66.

Similarly, rollers 74 are mounted on shafts 76 journalled in the side walls of section 58, are substantially cylindrical and span the distance transversely across chamber 65. It should be noted, however, that the substantially smooth outer surface 78 of rollers 74 is interrupted at longitudinal- 1y spaced intervals along the rollers by radially outwardly extend-portions 80 which are knurled as shown in the drawing. It should also be pointed out that the outer surface of each roller 68 is knurled and is devoid of any outwardly extending bands. The rollers 68 and 74 are disposed in pairs along the members 50 and 54, there being a pair comprised of a roller 68 and a roller 74 disposed in relative close proximity with one another as shown in FIG. 4. All of the gears 72 are coupled together by idler gears 82 which are disposed in compartment 66 and which are mounted on transversely extending shafts 84. The gears 86 for the respective rollers 74 are disposed in chamber 66 and engage with the corresponding gears 72 of the rollers 68 which are paired with the respective rollers 74.

It is readily apparent that all of the rollers 68 for each member 50 or 54 rotate together as a unit and in identical directions. It is also apparent that the rollers 74 rotate with the rollers 68 but in opposite directions thereto.

The shafts 70 proximal the abutting ends of the members 50 and 54 are interconnected by means of a flexible coupling 88 to permit articulation of the members 50 and 54 without interrupting the power drive throughout the entire length of arm 52. The latter is mounted on the upper end of container 12 by upwardly projecting brackets 90 and an electric motor 92 is operably coupled with the shaft of the first roller 68 at the lowermost end of arm 52. Motor 92 is adapted to be coupled with a source of electrical energy and is provided with a control switch (not shown) accessible to the operator so that the rollers may be power driven when desired by the operator.

The tape 22 emerging from opening 58 is fed between the pairs of rollers 68 and 74. The rotation of the rollers draws the tape from roll 20 upwardly through each successive pair of rollers 68 and 72. Immediately outboard of the last pair of rollers 68 and 72, the tape 22 passes through a manually operable cut-off device 94 which is mounted adjacent the outermost end of member 54 but within the tubular confines of the latter. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, device 94 includes a slotted, elongated rigid body 96 containing a shiftable member 98 upon which is mounted a blade 100. A spring 102 has opposite ends mounted in the side wall of member 54 and an outwardly projecting arm 104 integral with member 98. Spring 102 serves to hold the member adjacent one end of its path of travel. An elongated resilient element 106 such as a string, cable or the like is secured to member 98 and is adapted to extend exteriorly of arm 52 so that the operator may pull the blade along a rectilinear path of travel. The bias exerted by spring 102 draws the member 98 and its blade 100 back to its initial position when the spring is released. Tape 22 is fed past body 96 as illustrated in FIG. 7 so that the tape is cut by blade 100 along the line of path of travel of the latter when the spring is pulled.

An open top, hollow applicator head 108 is mounted on arm 52 adjacent the outermost end of the latter and includes a roller 110 mounted on a shaft 112 which is journalled between the side walls 114 of the head 108. It should be noted that the outermost periphery of roller 110 projects upwardly beyond the uppermost edge of head 108. The uppermost edges of head 108 are aligned with the outermost end edges of member 54 and a relatively small roller 116 is rotatably mounted on a shaft 118 which is parallel with the shafts 70 and 76 for the rollers 68 and 72 respectively.

The end of head 108 remote from arm 52 is provided with an opening 120 for accommodating the rotary movement of a plurality of generally planar relatively flexible vanes 122 forming a part of a rotatable troweling means 124. The latter comprises a cylindrical roller 126 mounted on a shaft 128 which is journalled in the side walls 114 of head 108. The vanes 122 are integrally mounted to roller 126 in circumferentially spaced relationship therearound and project radially outwardly therefrom as shown in FIG. 7.

An electric motor 130 is operably coupled to shaft 112 and is adapted to be coupled with a source of electrical energy. Again, the line L132 for conducting electrical energy to motor 130 is provided with switch means (not shown) accessible to the operator so that the operation of the motor 130 is under the operators control at all times. Shaft 112 for roller 110 is operably coupled with shaft 128 for the rotatable trowel means 124 by means of a power drive 134 mounted on a side wall .114 of the applicator head 108. Accordingly, power from motor 130 is transferred through drive 134 for rotating trowel means 124.

A pair of handles 136 secured to proximal side walls 114 project outwardly therefrom to permit manual manipulation of the applicator head 108, and consequently, arm 52. Manifestly, handles 136 are removable so that the applicator head may be utilized in close proximity to wall surfaces if desired.

The bottom 138 of head 108 tapers into an opening 140 which communicates with an elongated flexible con duit 142. The other end of conduit 142 communicates with container 12 for returning by gravity any excess plaster which is carried to applicator head 108 by the tape 22.

In operation, the weight of machine 10 is supported by the workman through the harness 26 which he wears during the tape applying operation. He manually manipulates the applicator head by means of one or the other of the handles 136. The pivotal connection of member 50 of arm 52 to container 12 and to member 54 permits a wide range of articulation of the applicator head during the operation. This range of movement of head 108 is further enhanced by the ability to swivel container 12 with respect to chest plate 28 and also by the ability to rotate container 12 about its longitudinal axis with respect to chest plate 28.

The operator controls motor 92 for drawing the tape through the plaster 46 at whatever rate is required. Motor 92 is of the variable speed variety and the transfer of tape through the machine may thereby be carefully controlled.

The tape emerging from container 12 is thoroughly coated with the paste or plaster material and excess material is squeezed from the tape by the operation of the pairs of rollers. The banded construction of rollers '74, however, insures that the tape 22 arrives at the point of application thereof to the wall with suflicient plaster adhering to the tape for smooth troweling onto the wall surface. The operator may also control motor 130 by virtue of the variable speed available from this motor. This permits the rotation of trowel means 124 at whatever speed is found necessary for smoothing the tape and plaster which has adhered to the tape onto the wall surface to provide a perfectly smooth joint. The vanes or blades 122 are somewhat resilient to avoid tearing of the tape and to enhance the tape and plaster smoothing operation.

The excess plaster which is carried by the tape to the applicator head is returned to the container 12 through tube 142. When the operator reaches the end of the seam which is to be covered by the tape, he merely pulls the cut-off blade 100 across the tape to sever the tape applied to the wall from that which is retained within the machine. Subsequent operation of motor 92 returns the tape to the applicator head for installation of another strip of tape at another location.

It is contemplated that many of the metallic components of machine will be constructed from relatively light weight aluminum or alloy materials. Further, the tubular construction of arm 52 admits to fabrication from relatively light weight and inexpensive sheet material to further reduce the weight and cost of the machine. The arm may be quickly and easily opened for cleaning at the end of the tape applying operation by virtue of the hinged together construction of the arm members.

The construction of head 108 is particularly well suited for applying tape to joints between panels of sheet material comprising a wall. Should it be necessary to utilize the machine for applying tape to corners, head 108 may be constructed with pairs of rollers 110 and troweling means 124 disposed at right angles with one another. Manifestly, the respective rollers and troweling means are adapted to operate on corresponding wall surfaces which merge to form the corner. The operation is otherwise identical to that described above.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

11. A machine for supplying tape for application to a wall comprising:

a container for a supply of plaster;

a holder on the container for a supply of endless tape, there being spaced apart openings in the container for receiving the tape therethrough as the latter moves through the plaster;

an elongated jointed arm comprising a pair of rigid, tubular, hingedly interconnected sections mounted on the container above said openings for articulation relative to the latter;

roller means disposed within said arm and adapted to frictionally engage the tape for drawing the latter through the plaster; and

power means operably coupled with the rollers for rotating the latter.

2. An applicator for applying plaster-coated tape to a wall comprising:

a housing;

a rotatable trowel member mounted on said housing and projecting from the latter;

said trowel member including a roller, and a plurality of planar, flexible vanes projecting radially from and extending longitudinally of the roller for providing a wiping movement when said trowel member is operated in close proximity to said wall;

a roller member mounted on said housing and coupled with said trowel member for rotation therewith; and

power means coupled with one of said members for rotating the same whereby a length of tape overlying said members is smoothed onto said wall.

3. A machine for supplying tape for application to a Wall comprising:

a container for a supply of plaster;

a holder on the container for a supply of endless tape, there being spaced apart openings in the container for receiving the tape therethrough as the latter moves through the plaster;

an elongated jointed arm mounted on the container above said openings for articulation relative to the latter;

roller means carried by the arm and adapted to frictionally engage the tape for drawing the latter through the plaster;

power means operably coupled with the rollers for rotating the latter; and

applicator means carried by the arm at the outer end of the latter;

said applicator means including a housing, rotatable trowel means journaled in the housing and adapted to receive said plastered tape from the roller means and to smooth the tape onto the wall, and conduit means extending between the housing and the container for the return of excess plaster to the container.

4. The invention of claim 3, wherein is provided a motor operably coupled with the trowel means for rotating the latter.

5. The invention of claim 3, wherein said trowel means includes a shaft, a plurality of circumferentially spaced, radially extending vanes carried by the shaft, and motor means operably coupled with the shaft for rotating the latter, said vanes being constructed of yieldable material for providing a wiping movement when said trowel means is operated in close proximity to said wall.

6. The invention of claim 3, wherein is provided a harness including a relatively rigid chest plate adapted to be worn by the operator of said machine, and swivel means secured to the chest plate and to the container respectively whereby the machine may be selectively manipulated to any of a variety of positions during operation of the machine by the workman wearing the harness.

References Cited I UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,323,963 7/1943 Ames 156-575X 2,405,742 8/1946 Fulfer 156--575 2,656,063 10/1943 Kafka 156523X 3,116,195 12/1963 Lathrop et al. 156 575X 3,131,108 4/1964 Kennard 156--575X 3,369,952 2/1968 Rieger 156-577 BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner I. M. HANLEY, Assistant Examiner 1 U8. Cl. X.R. 156-574, 523 

